


blinded (but i see you)

by NotSummer



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: BAMF Women, Battle Couple, Blind Character, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, F/F, Injury, OC Kiss Week 2018, Relationship Discussions, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 12:42:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13318344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSummer/pseuds/NotSummer
Summary: It turns out dozens of missions together taking down slavers to unwind doesn't automatically mean it's easy to be vulnerable. Tallia tries anyway after 18 reveals her feelings in a panic after Tallia gets wounded.





	blinded (but i see you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [motheatenscarf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/motheatenscarf/gifts).



“I never thought I would enjoy our missions as much as I do.”

“Thanks. I think.” Tallia’s aristocratic tones filtered through 18’s earpiece. The Miraluka sniper was hidden on the top of the dune eyeing the meet up point. The force ebbed around her, and she could see Tallia’s blue misty form through the Force, swirling agitatedly.

“Mm. Keep an eye out for those slavers. I can’t. This is the meet point. And perhaps we can try that resort that’s nearby after this.”

Tallia huffed at the eyes joke, and said only, “I suppose I should let you know I’m rolling my eyes right now.”

“Awww, looking out for the blind? You going to start a charity next? Maybe adopt some puppies,” 18 snarked, tapping into the Force to line up her scope.

“Keep your concentration on the here and now. Our guests have arrived.” 18 could hear the activation of sabers through the comm channel and she grinned as the seething whirling masses of the slavers appeared in her Force-vision.

She wasn’t far: perhaps a couple dozen meters away. But she was still hidden, and her rifle surprised everyone as the slug pierced the plating around the engine to hit the conduits, grounding the freighter.

Screams filled the comm as Tallia stopped playing nice, and 18 grinned as she listened to the slavers die in various painful ways. She snickered as she listened to the distinctive hiss of plasma through flesh. Her rifle fired, each shot catching the slavers in the neck where the artery pumped, leaving them to die a slow death. Or in the ass, because her slugs were laced with poisons, and 18 was not above giving these sleemo a humiliating death either.

Slugs cracked through the air and sabers screamed through kicked up sand and it was a lovely dance until-.

A lucky shot.

Tallia’s signature stuttered, and 18 was up and running, rifle over her back and pistols out, firing without any pretense at her usual grace. The Marauder was prone to injuries, apparently, since her defense was “kill them first”, but 18 had never actually seen her get injured.

She executed the last slaver as she slammed her shoulder into him and then snapped his neck. Taking the last few steps to bring her to Tallia’s side, she wrapped an arm around the other woman.

“I’m alright.”

“Uh huh,” 18 snapped, “Right. Of course. Because I’ve never seen your signature flicker like that, and excuse me if you knew you were going to be fine, because I didn’t know. Who the hell else is going to put up with my bullshit and blind jokes and go on fun missions where we murder slavers? What am I supposed to do without you?”

“It’s barely a scratch, it’s nowhere even dangerous.” Tallia’s voice was dismissive, and 18 wanted to shake her.

18’s hands closed on Tallia’s biceps. “That’s not the point. You utter moron.” Tallia was getting up on her own, but 18 leaned forward, resting her forehead on Tallia’s. “ _What am I supposed to do without you?_ ” she pulled back, her voice turning gruff. “Don’t scare me like that again.” Her fingers shook as she used the Force to determine the best place for the bacta patch. It was a graze, bit not a small one, and it had knocked Tallia down when her leg refused to keep itself up.

‘I.. Oh.”

Tallia’s flustered answer made Cipher 18 slap down the bacta a little harder than she intended, and she grimaced as Tallia’s leg jerked. The wound was on the inside of her thigh, close to some nerves, and it was still sensitive. “You didn’t know,” 18 gritted out. “Of course not.”

“Well. I- I didn’t want. You know. Assumptions. And all.”

18 smoothed the bandage down and sat back on her heels from where she had been kneeling. She turned her head to face where she assumed Tallia’s eyes were. “So, what, you thought I wouldn’t like you? I’ve been going on your missions. I’ve been helping with reports. Managing intelligence. I wouldn’t have fucking done that if I didn’t want to. And- more than that, you think I spent all that time hunting down that cake recipe you liked? I burnt a half dozen intelligence connections grabbing that.”

18 shook her head, regretting the respirator covering her mouth and the mask covering her eye sockets. She crossed her legs, concentrated, pulled up all the emotions she had about Tallia in the Force, and shoved them at her. Anger at her reckless fighting, adoration at her care of little Rowan, delight at the bursts of happiness when they helped someone, desire at Tallia’s throaty tones, pride when she got to watch Tallia’s back, and a thousand other things she felt.

“I kinda like you. A lot,” 18 finished.

Tallia was still flustered, and 18 could feel the awkwardness stifling her, but a rush of emotion hit 18 as Tallia bundled up her own emotions and shoved them at 18. It was tinged with desperation and uncertainty and hesitation, but 18 held tight, pressing her own presence around Tallia’s even as she fumbled for her breather and pulled Tallia closer.

There was nothing soft about their first kiss: it was hard and uncompromising and brutally honest and it was everything like them as it softened into something gentle. 18 dug her hands into Tallia’s hair, pulling the other woman closer and closer as Tallia took over the kiss and slipped her tongue into 18’s mouth.

Eventually they drew back, and 18 grinned, her smile finally visible without the breather. “Usually, you’re very competent. I’m enjoying ruffling your feathers.”

Tallia huffed. “You are. Impossible.”

“Maybe. But I can be just as impossible at that resort I sensed. Charge it to the Alliance?”

“To my own accounts, you mean?” Tallia’s tone was dry, and 18 smiled happily in response.

“If we’re getting technical.”

“I want you to know that I’m rolling my eyes.”

“I must have missed it,” 18 deadpanned.

Tallia fell silent, and 18 leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her brow. She shivered in the dying light of the sun, the air growing colder as the sun set on their beach. Tallia, at least, was warm.

“Kriff, the freighter,” 18 blurted. She leapt to her feet, sprinting from the downed craft. Tallia limped behind her, but 18 was uninjured, and much quicker, and her gauntlets slammed into the keypads as she raced to the cargo hold. Now that she was in the freighter, the halls stank with despair and fear and she sliced through the mire to slam her fist into the first cage door.

“We’re with the Alliance, and we’re here to get you out.” Her voice was carefully modulated, and she could see hope blossom around them, tinged with anxious trepidation. 18 stepped away from the door, gesturing towards the door she came through. “Go. Contact the Alliance if you need anything.”

On the other side of the cargo bay, 18 could hear the distinctive hum of Tallia’s sabers. Each blade hummed differently, and she knew the song of Tallia’s blades by heart. The sounds of molten furious metal echoed across the hold as Tallia sliced through locks, foregoing the keypads.

One by one, the cages were emptied and the people were freed. Fulfilling work, Cipher 18 thought, much better than anything she had ever done for Intelligence. She followed Tallia out to her speeder, both quiet. As they walked, 18 took a chance, and clasped Tallia’s hand in her own. For second, Tallia didn’t seem to react, but then her fingers untensed and entangled themselves with Cipher 18’s.

With this quiet newfound thing between them, the ride to the resort was both an eternity and half a second. Cipher 18 felt Tallia’s arm wrap around her waist as they stalked into the resort in their bloodied battle gear and weapons clearly visible. The staff got them a room, very quickly, and ushered them up to the top level, where 18 dropped her pack down, slowly stripping off armor plates until she was just left in her bodysuit and boots, which she then kicked off.

“So.” Tallia began, and stopped.

18 leaned back in her plush chair, enjoying the cool fabric. “I know you haven’t had the best track records. Whatever you want this to be, I’m alright. Just a fling, a longer thing, or nothing at all: that’s okay.” 18 pulled her gloves off, and wryly added, “But you did kiss me back on the beach, so I’m not thinking this is nothing.”

“Your grammar is atrocious,” Tallia replied, falling back into safer territory. Predictable. 18 _knew_ Tallia hated to be vulnerable. And this thing required her to be vulnerable, to not fall back on ex-Sith or Alliance Commander, but be Tallia.

18 shrugged, pulling off the top of the bodysuit, leaving her bra on, finally done with getting all the bloodied bits off of her. She shifted, kicking her feet over the arm as her back rested against the other. “Worked a lot of missions in the criminal underworld.”

18 turned her head to face Tallia again, quietly wishing she had eyes so she could _see_ the other woman. She looked through the Force instead, and quietly watched Tallia remove a few walls. Not all of them. But enough.

“You’ve never talked about your past with the Empire.”

“No. I’d much rather look to the future.” 18 was a sniper. Tallia could avoid the question as long as she liked, but 18 would be here, waiting.

“There is… something,” Tallia said, breaking the silence. Her voice was strained. “I… I want to try. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but-.” She trailed off.

Slowly, 18’s feet landed on the lush carpeted floors. She drifted over to where Tallia was sitting on the corner of the couch, arms around her legs, until she was standing in front of the former Wrath. “It’ll last as long as you want,” 18 said simply. “However you want me, I’ll be here.” She sat down on the couch, her side pressing up against Tallia’s.

She felt Tallia shift, and then lips, chapped and bitten, landed on her own, the Sith placing a hand on her cheek and another in her hair to keep her close. 18 nipped at Tallia’s lower lip, pulling it into her mouth as her own hands raised to trace Tallia’s jaw and cheeks, making a picture of the other woman in her mind.

Pulling back,  she wrapped an arm around Tallia and tugged, shifting until she was leaning against the other arm of the couch, with Tallia nestled on top of her. Her hands traced hard biceps, and her fingers caressed shoulder blades, and the needy air faded. A hum of contentment fell over them, and their eyes closed, even as 18’s hands never faltered in the pale light of the rising moons.


End file.
